Method of protecting buildings from lightning.



R. G. TOTTBN. METHOD or PROTECTING BUILDINGS mom LIGHTNING.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 2'7, 1908.

Patented June 29, 1909.

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ROBERT C. TOTTEN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 27, 1908.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Serial No. l5,608.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Protecting Buildings from Lightning; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to means for protecting oil tanks, refineries, barns, churches, and. other buildings from lightning. It is a well known fact that such tanks or buildings are usually isolated, having a good deal of space around the same, the buildings projecting above the general level of the ground, being thus especially exposed to the rays of the sun. It is believed that such buildings are liable to be struck by lightning owing to the formation of a rarefied column of air caused bythe rays of the sun striking upon. the building as it stands above the level of the round, causing a rarefied column of air above the same, and that the lightning follows the line of least resistance and therefore is liable to pass down the rarefied column of air and. strike the building.

The object of my invention is to preven such action, and it consists in cooling the top of the building, such as by agitation. of the air above the building and thereby keeping the air more in equilibrium with the surrounoing atmosphere.

The invention is illustrated in the acconipanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is diagrammatic view of an oil tank with the preferred form of the invention applied thereto, such as fans for agitating the air; and Fig. 2 is a view of a building in which water cooling is applied.

In said drawing the tank 1 has located around. the same a series of fans 2 which, as illustrated, can be driven by electric motors 3, and which are preferably so placed. as to draw the air from beyond the tank and force l 1 l i l i l ll l it over the surface of the tank, thereby both cooling the top surface of the tank and agitating the air above the same and in such way preventing the formation of a column of rarefied air above the tank andv keeping the air above the tank more in equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere.

In Fig. 2 l have illustrated the invention as carried out by water cooling, in which at is a building having the roof 5 and perforated pipes 6 located near the apex of the roof from which a spray of water can be thrown over the surface of the roof and extending over the same for some distance, the water from the spray dropping down over the surface of the roof into the regular gutters 7. in this way the roof of the building is maintained cool, so that the of the sun. striking the same will not be liable to form a rarefied column of air above the same, and at the same time the spraying of water will cause the formation. of cross currents of air which will tend to maintain the equilibrium of the air above the building with that suriounding the same.

The above are illustrations of the general invention and which of course can be practiced in any suitable way.

(that I claim is:

1. The method of protecting buildings from lightning, consisting in keeping the roofs thereof cool.

2. The method of protectii from lightning, consisting in roofs above the buildings cool by a the air above the buildings.

3. The method of keeping the roofs of buildings cool, consisting in forcing the air over the roofs of the buildings.

In testimony whereof, l the said. ROBERT C. l o'rrnw have hereunto set my hand.

ROBERT C. 'lO'WFEN.

\Yitnesses:

G. H. RANKIN, J. R. KELLER. 

